Richmond Hill YMCA announces expansion

Jamie Parker/Bryan County NowRandy Bugos, president and CEO of the YMCA of Coastal Georgia (left) accepts a check for $50,000 from Jon Seagraves of the Richmond Hill branch of the South State Bank for the Richmond Hill YMCA's expansion project.

Patrons of the Richmond Hill YMCA will soon have more room to break a sweat with aerobics, resistance workouts, spinning classes and other activities as the facility will expand its footprint by some 4,000 square feet of usable space, officials announced at the YMCA on Thursday.

Richmond Hill Executive Branch Director Mary Arocha said the need for the expansion is an indication the YMCA has made a connection in the community.

“I am super excited,” she said. “What this means is that if we have the need to expand, the community has bought in to what the Y does. We are all about wellness for the whole family. We service children, babies, teenagers, seniors and adults.

“We have diabetes prevention; we have a teen achievers program, and we have fitness programs, including family fitness nights where the whole family can work out together.”

The membership of the Richmond Hill YMCA has grown from approximately 150 families four years ago to more than 1,200 today, Arocha said.

Programs such as those Arocha mentioned will increase along with the physical size of the facility.

New instruction will come in the areas of jujitsu tumbling, gymnastics and others, according to Jay Mullins, vice president of YMCA Coastal

Georgia.

“We will be able to expand our aerobics, our cycling program; we are going to offer some functional fitness classes. We will have a new and improved fitness area. We are also going to be offering more programs for youths and families with kids in our multi-purpose rooms. It is really opening up a whole new area for us to expand our programs and our membership,” he said.

The expansion comes with a price, however, somewhere in the $175,000 range, Mullins said.

According to Randy Bugos, president and CEO of the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, that organization will provide the funds to get the expansion started with a loan the Richmond Hill branch will repay.

To ensure that happens and the expansion comes off as planned, the Richmond Hill Y has launched a fundraising campaign, and donations have started flowing in.

The first was a gift of $5,000 from the Coca-Cola Company. The second came from South State Bank.

Jon Seagraves, Bryan County market president for the bank, told those gathered at the Y while much had changed at the bank during its transition from Bryan Bank and Trust to the Savannah Bank and now South State Bank during the past few years, their commitment to the local community remains strong.

“We know that it is essential for us to give back to the community we work, live and play in. It is vital to our long-term success. With that being said, we have decided to partner with the YMCA on this project,” he said and announced the bank would provide $50,000 toward the project in the form of a challenge grant.

“What that means is we will match dollar for dollar the funds raised for this project in our community up to $50,000. I would encourage everyone here to please join us and get behind this project. I know that it is great for our community, and we look forward to seeing it to the finish line,” Seagraves said.

HOW TO DONATE

Donations to the Y’s expansion campaign can be made at the YMCA, 165 Thunderbird Drive, Richmond Hill, Ga. 31324.